"JimK6VRY" wrote ...
I'm picking up my new Prius this week and am curious about running
radios in the car. The techs at the dealer stare at me blankly when I
bring it up. I plan to operate an Icom IC-706 on HF and 2m. My
assumption is that the radio would run off the small 12v battery used
for accessories and engine starting. Since it's impossible to idle the
motor while standing still, the battry would seemingly run down pretty
quickly.

It would seem that any battery that is used for starting a
substantial engine should not "run down pretty quickly"
from the load of a tpical radio.